AG & the Queen of Sheba

He has long Rastafarian hair, an ageless face and an unassuming demeanour. He carries a black foldable bike in one hand and his camera equipment in the other. When you have the chance to take a walk with him in the streets of Paris you will directly notice that everybody knows him. 'Bonjour, ca va?' -comes up every five minutes or so when someone passes by. Hands are sometimes shaken. It's always an adventure to be with AG.

AG knows everybody and everybody knows him. His roots are in Côte d'Ivoire, a tropical paradise in the West coast of Africa.
AG was the official leader of the Rastafari community in France. After he left the leadership stayed empty. For more then 20 years nobody dares to take his seat, so he stays the unofficial leader. The Marley's are among his personal friends and everybody who needs to be connected with somebody will find a connection through AG. If AG could be compared with anything, he would be a solid wise baobab tree. The kind that is the centre of a whole community around it.
AG is also the man who lies behind the unofficial official GOJO TV.
GOJO TV is the coolest underground television station of Paris and I had the honour to be in it!

The Rastafarian religion has the Queen of Sheba as it's prophet. The Abyssinian king Haile Selassie who is a direct descendant of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon, is the name giver of the religion: one of his names was Ras Tafari (the Duke Tafari).

Emperor Ras Tafari and Empress Menen Asfaw of Abyssinia

It was also the Emperor of Abyssinia who had saved the the first muslim refugees when the prophet Muhammed and his followers were persecuted in Mecca. They went to 'El Habasha' (Abyssinia), because Muhammad (peace be among him) believed that it's Emperor was among the righteous.

For me the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, had saved the muslims again in the form of AG, the leader of the Rastafarian movement in France and director of GODJO TV which was the one and only French press that had offered me a podium to deliver my message of unconditional Muslim love to the city of Paris. 

My interview with AG: 'La vie, c'est L'Amour' (Life is Love)

Wa Allahu Al Rahmani Al Rahim,

And God is The Compassionate Compassion,

Salima El Musalima

avantgardeimam@gmail.com